Flames That Heal an Anguished Heart
by StenciledWings
Summary: For two people who had been shattered, betrayed, and embittered by the cruelty of Fate during their young lives, the essence of the Flame is only to destroy and spread havoc. But, Fate has its own tricks. Would it then be kind enough to show them that the Flame does not only ruin, but that, it also heals? Rated M for later chapters. Azuko pairing
1. Teaser

**Greetings~**

This is just a teaser- I repeat, **TEASER** of the Azuko story that I'm currently working on. I sure do hope to update this soon. *crosses fingers*

**Disclaimer: **I own them, so deal with it. *mouth quivers... bursts out sobbing* Okay, it's not true! I sadly** DO NOT** own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters! I do not own anything! Uwaaah! *sobs* W-well, p-perhaps... I o-own just my perverted brain. *sniffles* what are you looking at?! *blows nose* Go read the story! *shakes head at Life's unfairness*

**Enjoy!**

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**Flames That Heal an Anguished Heart**

The feelings and sensations took over her. She remembered all the times when she almost lost him, hovering like bitter visions of the past, warning her, haunting her. She couldn't take it anymore, not when the chance was finally there in that moment, when the only boy she ever loved, and who loved her more than his own life, was standing before her with those golden eyes, which had always looked at her full of love. In a blink of an eye, she set forth to close the gap between them, and looking into his eyes, she kissed him. She wanted to make him feel the emotions that her pride would never allow her to say. She had shattered his heart, and now she was desperately picking up the shards to heal him, to let him know that she loved him, too.

She pressed her body closer to his, gripping his shoulders and pulling herself up to him. The kiss grew deeper. Zuko kissed her back, hesitant at first, but slowly giving in, allowing himself to trust her again just like before. He pushed away all memories of her deceit because he didn't want to remember. He didn't want to think, all he wanted was to be free to love her.

"I love you," Azula murmured against the banished prince's lips, before she resumed her kissing. She pulled him to her, and when his lips slightly parted, she took the chance and plunged her tongue into his mouth. Zuko moaned at the sudden action, wrapping his arms tightly around the girl he valued higher than any honor. Azula felt her body heat up, wanting more of him, needing more of his love. Zuko kissed her back fervently, full of passion, letting his tongue play with hers.

It was driving Azula insane; she felt all her control caving in. In one swift motion, she pushed Zuko, causing him to lose his balance, and both of them fell into the bed. He automatically turned in such a position so that he could cushion her from any impact, landing on his back with Azula on top of him. The Fire Nation's prodigy didn't waste any time taking the advantage that their current position offered.

Straddling Zuko, she refused to break their lip lock and started to roam her hands between them over his body. In no time, she had parted the opening of his shirt, letting her palms run over his well-muscled chest down to his hard abs. Zuko groaned hard into her mouth, relishing the sensations that result from her touch. His groans encouraged Azula even more. She broke their kiss, leaving the prince beneath her to gasp for air, and worked her way down, covering her path with hot kisses upon his neck, chest, and down to his stomach. Her progress was interrupted when Zuko moved to undress her, his swift motions a match to her own.

His deft fingers loosened the knots of the band in her waist, removing it from her and throwing the sash off the bed. He then proceeded to pull off her gauntlets, unfastening the metal clasps that held it in place, after which, he raised her shirt and pulled it over her head. The prince's eyes feasted on the bare curves of the girl above him. He sat up, keeping his hands firmly placed on Azula's hips, holding her in place as she sat on his lap. He kissed her passionately before he bowed his head and kissed her down her body.

"So beautiful," Zuko murmured, "you're so beautiful." Inhaling deeply, he kissed the hollow of her throat, going to the side of her neck. Suddenly, he bit her lightly, and began nipping and sucking on the sensitive flesh, eliciting moans from the princess. Finally satisfied and sure that he had left a mark, he began to move lower, trailing kisses on her until he reached the valley between her breasts. He moved to the left, kissing her breast, and then his mouth enveloped her nipple, sucking gently, tugging at it lightly with his teeth, as he raised his hand and began fondling the other breast. Azula hissed at the pleasure she was feeling. She could feel warmth pooling between her legs. She moaned hard when Zuko moved his attentions to her other breast, suckling and nipping her. He did it slowly with utmost gentleness, careful not to hurt her and at the same time, he was giving her the opportunity to stop him if things were getting too far. But the last thing Azula wanted was to stop. With a moan, she clasped Zuko's head against her body, feeling his hands wrap around her waist. When she felt him suck harder on her nipple, she couldn't take it anymore. She wanted him. Pulling his head up in level with her face, she gave him a searing kiss as she slid his already-open shirt from his shoulders, before pushing him back.

As Zuko fell back against the pillows, Azula got off of him and parted the prince's legs, positioning herself between them, and resumed her progress on his body. Kissing his stomach, her hand went to cup the bulge that was growing between his legs. Zuko gave out a low growl, raising his head and meeting the dark eyes of his princess.

"Well, well, Zuzu, what do we have here? It seems that you're a bit _tense_ here."Azula purred. "Let me attend to that, hm?" Before Zuko could even comprehend the meaning of her words, Azula began massaging him through the cloth of his pants, causing the prince's head to fall back on the bed. Closing his eyes, he moaned hard at the sensations he felt.

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**So! How was it? Was it good? Reviews please! *puppy dog eyes***


	2. Chapter 1: Escaping the Blaze of Guilt

**Greetings~**

I'm back! ^^ Sorry it took me so long. I had a lot of things to do, most of which were related to my acads. O.O *shudders at the memory* Anyway, I was supposed to post this _weeks _ago. I doodled the whole thing during my Calculus class, since I was fed up in listening to my professor's droning, which just seemed to go on and on. Meh. Enough chitchat for now, I know you wanna read the story already.

Btw, I just changed my name into StenciledWings. I was formerly known here as Unmei no Sharin ^^

**Disclaimer: **Seriously? If I owned them, I would order every Firebender alive to burn away all Math books.

**Enjoy! :D**

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He was sprawled on the ground, his body numbed. With a groan, he shifted his head around, trying to figure out where he was, and vaguely, he remembered being in the heart of the forest. Panting, he gathered the last of his strength and forced himself to stand.

Darkness surrounded him, so intense that it was almost enough to overwhelm his senses. Then, from the distance came an enraged roar, followed by the sound of thundering feet. _Definitely not human_, he thought. He looked around, straining his eyes to locate his broadswords, or a weapon, or practically _anything_ to help him fend off whomever— no, _whatever— _it was that was pursuing him, and with such seemingly lethal intent. He heard the noises again, closer this time. Cold dread seeped into him as he realized that there were many of them. Giving in to instinct, he ran, immediately hating himself for doing the action. _Only cowards run_, he mentally hissed at himself. And yet, he couldn't help it. He wanted to survive. He _had _to.

He ran for quite a long while, stubbornly refusing to have his existence wiped out, and every distant roar or shout from behind was enough to urge him to go on. He slowed down upon reaching some sort of intersection, and swallowing hard, he forced his eyes to overcome, at the very least, part of the dark, and see what was before him. To his left, a path seemed to lead to a meadow. He noted the thinning of the vegetation further in and figured that he would encounter little to no difficulty in running through that area. He almost decided taking on that trail right then and there, but then, the memory of his uncle telling him to always exercise fairness persisted, breaking through the haze of his frantic mind. Cursing himself, he yielded, turning his head to assess the other path. To his right, the trail proved to be the exact opposite of the first one. It lay filled with trees with trunks so thick, and roots that rise as high as his waist. His calculating eyes also observed the tangled vines swinging here and there, as well as the thorny bushes that profusely covered the forest floor. _Not a good choice_, he thought. The noises made by his pursuers reached his ears once more, and he correctly guessed that their approach was faster this time, with no trace of hesitation in their advance. As for him, he found himself dreadfully uncertain. Part of him yelled to already choose the trail to his left and run to find refuge, but something in him held him back. Was it his pride? Or was it his belief that only cowards run? He wasn't quite sure that those were the reasons._ Then what in damned Agni's name was the reason? _He fiercely questioned himself.

Then he heard it.

From the path to his right came a cry, one full of agony. Without a second thought, he threw away all caution and bounded towards the trail to his right. A few paces behind him were his pursuers, but then, somehow, he didn't let that fact unnerve him anymore. He was focused only in one thing, and one thing alone. Upon hearing that cry, he immediately knew that somebody needed him. He didn't know how he knew that, but then... He just felt it. Somebody needed his help, and he could feel that that somebody was dear to him. _I will not be a coward anymore, I_ **refuse **_to be a coward any longer_, he thought. Pushing all thoughts regarding his own safety to the back of his mind, he ran harder, practically uncaring of the creatures following him. He stumbled many times, but he immediately pushed himself up, resuming his running. The thorns in the bushes cut him, inflicting wounds, some deep and some shallow. He ran on, feeling no pain, probably because his mind was bent on accomplishing that one goal of saving that someone, or maybe because a part of him knew that failing to save that person will give him pain more than any physical wound could.

He ran on and on. Just when he almost thought that the trail would never end, he burst through the thick forest into a clearing— right beside a cliff. There were many people, and creatures. _Like the ones after me_, he suddenly realized. The whole situation was filled with chaos. His eyes quickly searched for someone, pangs of anxiety seeping into him. Then, he saw her. She was bleeding, apparently from shielding a child, who cowered behind her. A beast of utmost ferocity stood a few feet from the pair, impatiently pawing the ground. No one seemed to notice her and the child, or the danger they were in. The dragon-like beast seemed hungry to spill more blood, and there was only little time left before it attacked. Fury enveloping him, he stretched out his arms, ready to throw a fireball to fend off the enormous beast. But no flame emanated from him. _No, this cannot be_, he thought frantically. He looked at the endangered pair once again. The beast gave a mighty roar and reared its ugly head before it charged towards the woman and the child, intent to kill.

"NO!" he yelled.

He gathered all his willpower and sprinted towards the trio, intent on pushing the pair out of harm's way and into safety. He was near, he can do it. Then, he saw something. His gaze had fallen upon the child's face, and his blood turned cold.

The child was _him_.

He paused, a fatal mistake on his part, as he turned and saw that the beast had swiped its massive paw, brutally flinging the woman down the cliff.

"NO! MOTHER!" he bawled, suddenly feeling sick with miserable agony as the meaning of the words he had shouted dawned upon him. Filled with vehemence, he turned his eyes towards the beast, and immediately had that rage turned into fear. He recognized who the beast actually was. He screamed, then, as the beast gave a diabolical roar and swiped at him, its claws digging deep into his chest.

He fell down the cliff, still not feeling any pain from the wounds, which he was sure he wouldn't survive. He felt the need to die, then. He didn't deserve to live.

_I couldn't do anything at all..._

_Forgive me..._

_Mother..._

"MOTHER!"

"Zuko! Wake up! It's a dream, snap out of it!"

He immediately bolted upright, flinching away from the touch of the hand that shook him back to reality. Gold eyes met the warm brown orbs of his uncle. The older man smiled down at his nephew, rubbing a comforting hand on his arm, before his brows furrowed with worry.

"Was it the same dream again?" Iroh asked his young nephew.

Zuko mutely responded with a nod, his gaze low. He still felt that burning shame; shame for not being able to do anything, even in his dream, to save his mother. Iroh noted all of this with sympathy. Zuko loved his mother very much, and the young prince experienced the harshness of Life at a very young age. Sighing, the older man sat down in front of his nephew.

"Zuko, don't blame yourself. It was not your fault. Your mother made the choice herself, and she did that in order to protect you. I am sure she would not want you to blame yourself for what happened," Iroh comforted him.

"Even so, Uncle, I couldn't help it. Every time I dream that same dream, I always feel the need to go there, to throw myself in front of her and save her from that beast. I don't want to be a coward anymore. And yet, I couldn't do anything at all. I am nothing." The prince whispered bitterly.

Iroh only shook his head and reached out, placing his fingers under Zuko's chin and lifting his head to look directly into the prince's gold eyes.

"Listen to me, Zuko. It is a sin of pride to take the blame for a sin you did not do, and burden yourself with it. You say you don't want to be a coward anymore, but what you are doing is an act of cowardice. Let me finish." He held up a hand to silence the prince of his attempted protests. "It is an act of cowardice because deep inside you, you are afraid to accept that you were not responsible for what your mother did. She made the choice to save you, just as any loving mother would do. And I believe that she would not want to see you burdened with what she did. If you are also blaming yourself for being incapable of doing anything to find her after that, remember that you were a child. You were rendered powerless by your own father, and you had to do what's best then. You sought to find the Avatar to get back to your father's good graces because you thought that it was only when he restored you to your title, only then would you be granted power sufficient enough to find your mother." Iroh took in his nephew's dumbfounded expression, and smiled.

"You thought I didn't know you thought like that, Zuko? I did. I knew you thought like that, lad. You sought not only your father's approval, but also, you wanted to be granted power, or even information to know the whereabouts of your mother. You did your best, Zuko. And your mother would have been proud of that. But she wouldn't want you to risk your own life just to find her, when it was she who made the decision to leave. Learn to forgive yourself, Zuko, for the things you couldn't do."

Zuko bowed his head." I know, Uncle— I mean I struggle to accept that," he corrected himself hastily as he saw his uncle raise an unbelieving eyebrow at him. Zuko sighed, "It's just that I have a really hard time doing it. You know, forgiving myself, that is."

His uncle nodded at him, expression filled with understanding. Iroh was about to say something when Sokka suddenly peeped into the room.

"Oh, excuse me, but my sister sent me to tell you that we're finally here," the young boy said with a smile.

Iroh pulled himself to his feet. "Very well then," he said. "I suppose it is only proper that we go out and greet everyone. We will be out in a moment."

Sokka bowed respectfully at the older man before scampering out into the hallway. Iroh turned to look at Zuko.

"It is time to go out now, Zuko. Come now," he coaxed his nephew, holding out an assuring hand.

Zuko took the offered hand, using it as leverage to pull himself up. Iroh gave him a pat on his shoulder before the two of them headed out.

The golden-eyed prince took in his surroundings. It was dawn, and the first rays of the sun were just peeping over the horizon. He was being given an opportunity to start his life anew, and he felt the pangs of guilt within him recede. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. _I will forgive myself_. It was a promise he whispered to the cool mist of a new day.

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**And that's it! Hope you liked it. :)**  
**Gonna update soon.**

**Reviews please. They make me happy!**

**Love ya.**  
**Hugs! :***


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